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There is a major difference between engineering and software development: liability. If a civil engineer designs a bridge, and it crashes and people die due to
by alejohausner 5y ago
There is a major difference between engineering and software development: liability.
If a civil engineer designs a bridge, and it crashes and people die due to a design flaw, he or she can be sued, and even put in jail.
On the other hand, software comes with a license that explicitly makes its authors not liable for design flaws.
When was the last time you had to agree to an end user license agreement before crossing a bridge?
- the_rectifier 5y agoEE here. In electronics there are hardly liabilities but still the design work is way more based on evidence and understanding rather than fads, hype and opinions.
- pjmlp 5y agoWell, in Portugal it is illegal to call yourself Software Engineer like on US after 6 month US codecamps. It is a professional title and while it isn't usually validated, thus only those that sign projects with legal liabilities do make the final exam, every single university in the country is only allowed to have certified engineering degrees. I am aware of similar practices in other countries as well.
- magicsmoke 5y agoIt might also be instructive to compare with medicine or law. These practitioners are also liable for their actions, have to be licensed by a professional organization, and can have their credentials revoked in the event of gross incompetence. Software designers have none of these burdens.